Lampshade Making at Sew Over It's Summer Party

A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to be invited along to Sew Over It's Summer Party for an evening of lampshade making, cocktail drinking and chatting with a number of lovely London based sewing bloggers. Many of them are well known to me now (a fair few Spoolettes were in attendance!) but it was so great to finally meet some more familiar online faces in real life! 

In case you have not come across Sew Over It before it is a gorgeous little sewing cafe in Clapham, South London, run but the very talented Lisa Comfort who many of you may well recognise. Classes and workshops are held in the cafe and a shop selling a carefully selected range of fabrics and haberdashery occupies some of the space. The shop also of course stocks the Sew Over It pattern range and sewing kits. I managed to resist temptation as I've already got their Ultimate Trousers lined up in the sewing queue but I was seriously eyeing up the Ultimate Wrap Dress pattern! As you can see below it was a beautiful summer evening and the team had put on quite a spread for us.

We were lucky enough to try out the studio space downstairs and experience Lisa's tuition first hand with a taster of their lampshade making workshop. I was a little apprehensive about this at first (fear of not having a pattern to follow and a machine to sit behind!) but it was super straightforward and enjoyable. It was a real treat to have the supplies laid out ready and waiting to be assembled by us, it's always the prep work and set up that puts me off getting stuck into a project! It has the potential to get a little messy if you are attempting it on your own as you have to roll the two tape covered wire 'wheels' onto the fabric at the same time and speed but with two pairs of hands it was quick and easy.

Here I am putting the finishing touches on my lampshade. This abstract monochrome print jumped straight out at me from the selection available, I guess I know my taste in prints! I wore my second version of the Anna Dress as the fabric for it I bought in Sew Over It early last year. It's a poly crepe with a blotchy floral print which reminds me of cherry blossoms. I actually found the same fabric in Lisa's book when I was browsing through it later in the evening! 

Here we all are with our lampshades in multiple colours and patterns! You might recognise a few well known faces in this pic, Lisa the owner of Sew Over It is on the end on the right. I was chatting to the girls about how well you get to know each other's tastes through reading blogs and as I was browsing the fabric choices I could tell with some people who would pick what!

My lampshade has fit right in in my sewing space at home. It's taken pride of place on the lamp my Nan and Grandad gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago, yes that's giant spools of thread forming the stand! Thanks so much to Lisa, Tugba and Alex for your hospitality and giving us all such a fantastic evening. Thanks also to Alex for the great photos!

Emerald Wool Crepe Charlotte Skirt

 Today I've got a make to share with you which I actually finished a fair few weeks ago but have been getting a lot of wear out of recently in this gorgeous weather we've been having in London. I've been wanting to make some more simple and classic pieces to add to my wardrobe as a lot of the pretty dresses I make, while fun to sew, don't get an awful lot of wear in my day to day life. But I still wanted to have some fun so I chose to pair this vivid emerald green wool crepe with the clean silhouette of By Hand London's Charlotte Skirt. I'm still dying to make up one of these with the ruffle hem or peplum variation by the way, just need to find an occasion to use as an excuse to make it!

This luxurious wool crepe has been sitting in my stash for quite some time as I had a really hard time choosing a project for it! It was such a special piece I didn't want to use it for something that I wasn't certain would work. I picked it up from a remnant sale I was lucky enough to catch on Berwick Street. Every now and then The Silk Society, Berwick Street Cloth Shop and Broadwick Silks have a remnant sale in their upstairs offices. Look out for little posters in their stores if you're ever paying a visit. This was a 1.8m piece which I paid just £18 for, it was originally £35/m! Luckily, as I was shortening the skirt, I managed to squeeze this out of just 80cm so I still have a metre left...ideas anyone?!

I've used this pattern a fair few times now so it came together really smoothly. I cut the size UK 10 as I do with all BHL patterns and the fit is great, just the right amount of snug around the waist. In a couple of my previous versions I've taken a smidge out of the side seams around the hips as the pattern is drafted for the curvier ladies among us but that does make it fairly restrictive so I left them as is this time to allow for comfortable movement (and dinner!) The only other change I made was to take 3.5" off the hem. BHL patterns always come up long on me plus I think hitting just beneath the knee is more flattering on my short legs than a full on midi length.

I've got around the 'walkability' issue of this fitted skirt in different ways each time I've made it. If you're using a fabric with a bit of stretch (as I did for my Elisa-lotte Dress) and are making it no longer than mine is here, you can probably get away without any kind of vent. With my Brocade Skirt I followed the provided instructions to create a simple vent, including mitred corners when hemming. On my recent Anna-lotte Dress the chiffon panel around the hem meant I could create a simple box pleat in that while it was flat and cheat a kind of faux kick pleat. For this version I wanted to give the wool crepe the lovely finish it deserves and decided to try creating a kick pleat. It was before I had made up the beautiful Martini Dress from Capital Chic Patterns which includes a lined vent which probably would have been a lovely finishing option for this had I known!

The standard method of creating a kick pleat seems to be to add a section on to your skirt pattern piece at the hem on just one side. However, I made the mistake of forgetting that I wanted to do this when I cut it out. So I put my thinking cap on and made my own version! I worked out how wide I wanted the pleat to be then made up a simple rectangular pattern piece twice the width of the pleat to account for the amount folded back, plus seam allowances. I then attached each side to the seam allowances of the skirt before sewing up the centre back seam. After doing this I pressed the folds of the pleat in place and stitched across the top to secure. It's pretty hard to explain in words so I might put together a photo tutorial if anyone is interested in a slightly unusual way to create a kick pleat!

The other main change I made to the pattern was to fully line it with an emerald green cotton poplin. This is quite a lightweight crepe so had the potential to be a little sheer in direct sunlight, plus I felt such a delicious fabric deserved the special treatment! This is a super simple project to line; I just cut the front and back skirt pieces from the cotton and assembled them exactly as the main pieces. Once I was ready to attach the waistband I first used my zipper foot to attach the lining down either side of the zip in a way very similar to the instructions of the Cambie Dress. Finally I machine basted the lining and skirt wrong sides together along the waistline so I could treat them as one when attaching the waistband as per the instructions.

If making a similar style in this type of fabric again I'd probably choose to reinforce the fabric at the dart tips by applying a small square of fusible interfacing over each point. It took a lot of pressing to get those darts anywhere close to crisp and I still feel they are a little droopy. Another tip for you if you are thinking about working with wool crepe is to use a press cloth so you can turn the heat without worrying about damaging your make but still get nice flat seams. It's really important to consider how you might launder your finished garment and to pretreat it appropriately as it can shrink by quite drastic amounts. For this skirt I used Carlolyn's fab post to teach me how to steam shrink it with the iron; if I had a tumble dryer I'd definitely be trying her wet towels trick!

I'm not entirely delighted with the finish of the overlapping waistband above the zip. I've never been completely satisfied with my efforts with this and in the bouncy wool crepe which refuses to press flat it was really tricky. I think perhaps a button and button hole might make a difference rather than the hooks and eyes I've used but I think if I make this skirt again I'd do without the overlap, use a longer zip and insert it up to the top of the waistband.

In general though I'm really pleased with how this little number turned out as it mixes in well with the rest of my wardrobe and is great to dress up or down. It's also great to wear in hot weather which might surprise you as wool is generally thought of as a winter fabric. However the fact that it is a natural fibre plus the weave of the crepe makes it very breathable. I'm wearing it here with my very first Sewaholic Renfrew Top which I'll be sharing along with two more versions very soon! For now I'm off to drink in the inspiration you guys have been filling my overflowing blog roll with!

Giveaway Winner and a Meet Up!

It's been a hectic week around here so without further ado, selected by random, the very lucky winner of the White Russian Sweatshirt PDF pattern from Capital Chic Patterns is....

Lorna from Little Sewing Corner! Congratulations Lorna! I'll be sending you an email to confirm that that is the correct address you would like the PDF pattern delivered to and then I'll hand over to Sally from Capital Chic to send it on direct. I can't wait to see your unique spin on this versatile wardrobe staple.

If you weren't lucky enough to win this time never fear I have some more exciting news for all of you! The lovely Charlotte from English Girl At Home is organising a large sewing meet-up in Birmingham on Saturday 4th October.

Not only will attendees get the chance to fabric shop to their heart's content in Birmingham City Centre a short bus ride away in Moseley Village is Guthrie & Ghani, the sewing shop and cafe run by Lauren from the first series of the Great British Sewing Bee. Lauren is very kindly keeping the studio space above the shop free for the afternoon so there will be plenty of opportunity and space to have a chatter with new and old sewing friends. There's also plans for a swap of fabrics and patterns at this point which I'm really excited about as my stash is getting out of control and needs a good sort out! All donations for refreshments will go to Parkinsons UK.

I've heard many good things about fabric shopping in Birmingham (including the famed Barry's Fabric!) and have been looking for an excuse to visit Lauren's shop so I am going to do my best to keep that Saturday free so I am able to attend. I know some of my fellow Spoolettes will be making the trip, who else fancies joining us?

If you're interested in attending all the details are posted on Charlotte's blog so make sure to sign up there and keep an eye out for updates. I'll hopefully see you there!

Pattern Testing: The White Russian Sweatshirt from Capital Chic and a Giveaway!

So I think we established in my post last week that I love the new Martini Dress pattern from Capital Chic Patterns right?! Well I was lucky enough to test a second pattern from Sally's brand new collection and out of the two I just can't pick a favourite! After the line drawing for Martini caught my eye the White Russian Sweatshirt was the next pattern that grabbed my attention. Here in the UK it can be chilly for large parts of the year and I often find myself struggling to put together a stylish, flattering yet warm outfit day after day in the winter. But here was Sally looking chic as ever in a sweatshirt! I just had to give it a try.

It was such a quick an enjoyable make, those raglan sleeves make it super speedy! For me it was one of those when you just feel content sitting at your machine and seeing it all come together. I was having such a great time that I was already dreaming up multiple different versions whilst still sewing!

I cut a size 2 and think it's turned out just slightly larger than intended as I'm still working on my overlocker confidence and tend to use too small of a seam allowance in fear of trimming off too much! I still feel less swamped in this than I have done in any other sweatshirt I've tried on in the past and really like the more relaxed fit when worn with skinny jeans and a statement necklace. I'll definitely be going slimmer next time though as I absolutely love how Sally has paired her versions with skirts for the promo shots. I'd never have even considered wearing a sweatshirt out for a night on the town but can really see myself doing so with this slimmer more feminine style.

I do think next time I'll take an inch or two off both the length of the body and the sleeves as I think this would help create a more flattering fit on my short body! If you need a reference point length wise I'm about 5ft 3" and am quite short waisted.

I made this up using a sweater knit from Classic Textiles on Goldhawk Road. As it was a pattern test I wanted to make up a plain version to begin with so was looking for a fabric with a bit of interest to it. This knit has a slight marl to it which shows up best in the close ups below. I used exactly the 1.5m recommended by the pattern, with just scraps to spare and I think it was £6 or £7 a metre. Classic Textiles have a great range of sweat shirting in different colours and textures all around that price range so I really recommend a visit if you're looking for a good selection to choose from.

I'm still not hugely confident working with knits and am very slowly getting used to how different knits can produce a totally different result with the same pattern. This was a nice stable knit to work with and I'm pretty happy with the results overall. I think the neckband could sit a little flatter so I'd stretch it out a little more as I attach it if using a similar fabric again. But I am really pleased with my cuffs!

If you are a beginner I will suggest that it would be useful to have previous experience of handling and sewing with knits as (given that all the Capital Chic patterns are aimed at intermediate to advanced sewists) there are no extra tips when it comes to stitch types and needles e.t.c. I sewed the whole garment up on my overlocker and didn't even add any topstitching as I liked the clean look.

Can you spot my mistake? Yep, should have checked that cutting layout before I ploughed on in with the scissors! I must have been having a funny five minutes as I neglected to notice that the band for the hem needed to be cut out twice on the fold and I ended up without a long enough scrap left to do this. I had to cut it in two and add a seam at the centre back but I don't think it's that noticeable and at least I can't see it when it's on!

One of the things I like about this pattern is that I think it's a perfect straightforward make for beginners with a little experience but as it is such a fantastic blank canvas for embellishment and personalisation a more advanced seamstress could give themselves a good challenge in what they choose to do. I am dying to add some heavy beadwork to the neckline of this version and am also really tempted to try a version in a very loosely woven knit to wear layered and oversized. My absolute favourite element of the pattern is the inclusion of instructions as to how to quilt your sweatshirt, including templates for lion and fox designs! I've never tried any form of quilting so will definitely be trying this out at some point. I also love the black geometric embossed knit Sally used for one of her samples which looks as if it is pre-quilted.

Sally in her faux-quilted White Russian sample

If looking at my blank canvas of a sweatshirt has got you inspired to make your own and get creative with the personalisation then I have good news for you! Sally has very generously agreed to give away a copy of the White Russian Sweatshirt PDF pattern to one of my readers. If you would like to be in with a chance of winning let me know in the comments below. The giveaway is of course open internationally and will close at midnight GMT on Saturday 12th July. I'll randomly select a winner on Sunday and the pattern will be delivered to your inbox so make sure you either include your email address in the comments or that it is easily accessible from your profile. Good luck everyone, I'm off to look at decorated sweatshirts on Pinterest!